Crunchy Thai Salad (Cookbook Sneak Peek!)

In case you haven’t heard, we have a cookbook! Well, almost. Frugal Vegan will officially be available on June 20th from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Books-A-Million, and Powells. However, you can pre-order it right now and have it delivered to your doorstep the day it’s available. Frugal Vegan has been more than a year in the making, and we can’t wait for you to have it in your hands.

As the title indicates, Frugal Vegan is chock-full of budget-friendly recipes. The notion that eating a plant-based diet is expensive is a huge misconception. We wanted to prove it with beautiful, delicious, nutritious meals that won’t burn through your grocery budget. This Crunchy Thai Salad is one of 99 budget-friendly recipes in our cookbook, and this post offers a sneak peek!

In most of the recipes in Frugal Vegan, we offer a “splurge” option if you feel like upgrading to a pricier ingredient. We use millet in this recipe, which you might recognize as the main ingredient in birdseed. While quinoa is often celebrated as the best gluten-free grain for filling out salads, millet is equally as delicious and much more affordable. In fact, the swap is pretty seamless in terms of taste and texture!

If budget isn’t an issue, feel free to swap in quinoa for the millet. Or, add a cup of cooked, shelled edamame for an extra boost of protein. However you decide to make our Crunchy Thai Salad, your lunch is going to taste great. How could it not with a mix of fresh veggies and creamy peanut sauce? If you like this recipe, pre-order Frugal Vegan for dozens more affordable soup, salad, bowl, pasta, breakfast, and dessert recipes!

Instructions

1. Cook the millet according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

2. Add the purple cabbage, carrots, sugar snap peas, cilantro and green onion to a large mixing bowl. Once cool, add the millet and toss to combine.

3. Mix the peanut butter and soy sauce in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until the peanut butter is soft and easy to stir. Add the ginger, agave, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice and red pepper flakes. Whisk together to fully incorporate the flavors. Add water to thin, as needed.

4. Pour the Thai peanut sauce atop the millet/vegetable mixture and stir to thoroughly coat. Sprinkle the peanuts on top of the salad and chill until ready to serve.